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How fast do they go?

Hehehe...this is a hotly debated topic, even on this forum. Do you want to go really fast? Or do you want get to highway speeds really fast? Are you interested in fuel economy?

If you want to reach a high top speed (cruising at 80+ mph on the highway), hybrid vehicles are fully capable of this, just as any other car is. If you are just looking to get off of the stoplight quickly, then a hybrid vehicle probably isn't for you. A notable exception would be the Honda Accord Hybrid, which is the highest offering of horsepower in the Accord lineup.

However, keep in mind that the Accord Hybrid isn't too terribly fuel efficient. It was built with power in mind, not fuel economy. It's not bad on gas, but there are full-gasoline cars that get better mileage.

Bottom Line: If you are looking for fuel economy, then don't expect much power off the light. If you are looking for serious stoplight-to-stoplight acceleration, then don't expect much in fuel economy. When it comes to top speed, a hybrid vehicle will keep up with the average full-gasoline engines.

How fast do they go?

Just found this little tidbit after my previous post. The Honda Insight, the hybrid with the lowest horsepower, is capable of 0-60 in just over 10 secs, and can make it to a top speed of over 110 mph. Honda reports that this is similar performance to the standard gasoline-powered Honda Civic with a 4-cyl, 1.5L engine.

you guys are a bunch of

The problem with most

The problem with most hybrids is that they're still _mostly_ gas-powered ICE vehicles. Also, their main focus is fuel economy. The only way to make an ICE vehicle go fast is to reduce its weight (the smart route) or boost horsepower (the obvious route). But large displacement ICEs aren't very fuel-efficient, and battery cells are heavy.

If you had a fully-electric vehicle (or something like the Volt that is mainly electric powered), then you aren't limited by engine displacement or have to choose between power and fuel-economy. You'd also have great off-the-line performance since electric motors produce maximum power and torque from 0 to ~6000rpm.

The top speed will still be lower than a high performance gas-powered vehicle, but for most drivers who aren't into racing, they'll get more enjoyment out of quicker acceleration than a ridiculously high top speed anyway.